


The Scars Set Ablaze

by Cat_Echoes



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Falling In Love, M/M, Self-Harm, Substance Abuse, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:02:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27761194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Echoes/pseuds/Cat_Echoes
Summary: "Don't worry, I will never leave you to fight their wrath alone!"One day during a snowstorm in SnowDin Grillby finds himself watching two young boys try to survive on their own. After taking them to shelter, he becomes good friends with the oldest. However, little does Grillby know that fate can bring the toughest challenges in your direction. Even if those tough challenges mean finding true-love, along the way
Relationships: Grillby/Sans (Undertale)
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Heavy footsteps sounded down the hallway as I slowly sat up onto my cot of a bed. My gaze carefully watched the doorway that stood before me. Large beams filled the entrance, preventing anyone from coming in or out. The footsteps paused before me revealing a tall skeleton who wore a long lab coat. On the right side of his ribcage a nameplate sat on the coat, revealing his name to be W.D. Gaster. The doctor cautiously scribbled something onto a clipboard that he carried in his right hand before pressing his free hand onto a pad on the wall. Within that touch, the laser beams slowly faded away, allowing me to make a run for it.

"Come along Sans." The skeleton spoke before narrowing his dark lifeless eyes in my direction.

I gingerly fingered the green hospital-dress that I wore before tossing him a smile, "what are we doing today, Daddy?"

I quickly hopped off my bed as my father narrowed his eyes at me, however he wore a large smile on his face. "Come over here, Sans, and I will tell you what we are doing..."

I paused before the tall skeleton and held out my arms before him, making them open and close, as though asking him to pick me up. My father's arm moved forward, but to my surprise pain scorched my cheek as he quickly slapped my cheek. I looked up in hurt as his gaze darkened, "you are no son of mine."

"B-but me and Papy are your sons... I-I thought you loved us." I paused as his eyes darkened before shining a dark orange and blue. My stomach churned as he grabbed a hold of my soul and lifted me off my feet. Warm tears threatened to leave my eyes as he held me against the wall.

Doctor Gaster, growled before releasing my soul from his grasp, making me fall to the ground in a loud thud. "I could care less about you and Papyrus. You are both nothing more than my experiments. Worthless ones at that."

Tears began to race down my cheeks as I began to beat my fists into the floor. All I wanted was for dad to love Papyrus and I, was that to much to ask for? To live a normal life how everyone else does... my body began to levitate as the Male sighed and lifted me up with a spell. "Now let's get moving, we have important business to take care of."

My hands folded across my chest as I allowed the doctor carry me. His footsteps echoed as we walked south from my cage. He paused before another room before placing his hand onto the button, shutting off the lasers to reveal a sleeping Papyrus in the corner. "Go inside Sans." The doctor instructed before setting me onto the ground. I turned my head towards the open corridor around me before I looked back at the doctor. I have been down here for 5 years longer than Papyrus and I do not plan on staying any longer, especially since my poor brother is almost 3 years old.

My knees bent beneath me as I quickly stood up on my bare feet. The doctor narrowed his eyes as though telling me to hurry forward. I let out a low sigh and paused midstep tossing one glance up towards the doctor before I allowed my legs to carry me down the hallway, away from the cell. 'Come on Sans, just keep running. Hopefully Papyrus will have enough time to crawl away if I can just manage to-.' My thoughts paused as once again I was lifted off my feet. I began to kick at the air as I was spun around to meet the doctor.

His cold eyes narrowed before he shook his head making the dark marks that sat on his face swing with disgust. "Tsk tsk tsk, and to think you were a smart boy. Looks like I'm going to have to punish you for your actions."

'No- no, no, no..!' I screamed in my head as my legs began to beat quicker in his grasp, but the doctor ignored me as he allowed his blue aura to follow him as he began to walk down the hallway. I threw one last glance in the direction where Papyrus was to find his cell still open, along with my younger brother standing in the opening as he watched doctor Gaster, carry me away from him.

What felt like an hour of kicking and screaming passed until the older skeleton paused before opening a door. He began to walk inside, allowing the aura to carry me behind him. I pressed my hands against the bubble-like object that was carrying me to examine the room.

The room was filled with dark gray walls, along with a large opening in the middle. Doctor Gaster paused before the opening and allowed his arms to rest along a railing that sat around the hole. The bubble drifted closer allowing me to see the hole closely. Instead of just being the small pit, the entire hole was dark red while light orange bubbles drifted up every so often. "Welcome to the core, Sans."

"T-the core. I-it exists, I thought all those times you told me about it, they were just monster-tales!"

"You are to smart for your own good my boy. This area indeed exists, and I would like to show you what this baby has in store." Gaster paused midsentence before flicking one finger upwards, a statue of ice floated into the doorway as the another blue aura drifted into towards the core. His finger paused before the aura disappeared, allowing the ice figure to drop into the core. However, instead of floating the orange-water began to dissolve the figure quickly, until there was nothing left of the statue.

"D-Dad...I-I mean Doctor Gaster, surely you can find it in your heart to give me another chance!"

Doctor Gaster laughed as he set the bubble onto the ground, dropping me from his grasp. "Give you another chance. Oh, how silly of you, why would I need a mistake like you. All you have is 1Hp, which is surely not good enough!"

My jaw opened slightly before I closes it, allowing Gaster to continue. "Besides, unlike the rest of the skeletons only one of your eyes can glow. Don't you realize how much of a burden you are to all of monster kind?! Why, I'm just doing everyone a favor by disposing of you before it is to late!"

"Papa..." A voice called out from behind us. My head snapped around to find Papyrus crawling towards us. His hand clutched a small orange blanket that Gaster had given him when he left the tube. "What goin on, papa?"

I glanced over at Gaster who was now distracted by Papyrus' naive expression as Gaster tried to use his magic to pick him up. I looked over at Papyrus and sighed, 'I'm sorry for doing this brother...' my gaze narrowed as I allowed my left eye to turn blue. My feet quickly flew forward before Gaster could pick up Papyrus. My arms extended out as I tossed my weight against Gaster while he was distracted. Gaster let out a gasp as he fell against the rail. His arms slid onto the rail as he tried to lift himself up, but I was quicker. My hands reached forward as I quickly pushed him off the edge as he tried to climb his way back up. I felt a tear of guilt tear at my soul as my ex. Father and creator fell into the lava, causing a splash of the orange liquid to fly into the air.

I let out a sigh as Papyrus began to cry behind me. My arms extended forward as I lifted my younger brother before turning back to the core. "I'm sorry Gaster, but I had to do this- to make sure Papyrus can have the childhood that I never had a chance to have."

Warm tears flew down my eyes as I quickly hurried down the hallway, careful to not drop Papyrus. "B-brother, when will daddy come back?"

I let out a sigh and held Papyrus closer to my chest. A frown melted onto my face as I forced myself to look into his oblivious yet kind gaze. "S-Someday Paps, don't worry."

"Ok!" Papy grinned before snuggling closer to my chest as I proceeded forward.

After a few minutes I finally made it towards the exit. I've seen Gaster leave through this door multiple times. After all, I did grow up down here. I glanced down at Papyrus who was dead asleep as he clung to my hospital-gown. I removed one of my arms from around him and carefully pressed the pad that Gaster always pressed. I waited for a moment before the door finally slid open, revealing a dark orange area that had some railing over the core, kind of like the smaller one in Gaster's lab. My arm shifted back into position to carry Papyrus before I headed out.

To my surprise, no one was around. The entire walk was sort of lonely, but I pressed forward knowing that somewhere I could manage to find shelter for Papyrus and I.


	2. Chapter 1

Grillby's POV:

My father's bar has been empty for the past few days. Sure, a few regulars come in and stay for a couple of hours, but lately it's been pretty quite. My gaze rested on the door as I held an empty glass in my right hand. Dad, told me that I have to continue working, if I want to get an allowance. My eyes drifted away from the door as familiar footsteps marched out of the door behind me, revealing my father. His dark red skin nearly blended in with the shadows as he came closer to me.

"Good Afternoon Dad, what would you like me to do?"

"Grillbert my boy." My father began, using my full name, even though he knew just how much I hated it. "I'm going to need you to make a quick delivery."

My eyes shifted upwards as I gave him a startled look, "b-but dad, there is a snow storm going on!"

"Grillbert Emberstone, I gave you an order and I expect you to do that! Do you understand me, boy!" My father scoffed, allowing his ginger hair to grow dark red out of anger.

A gulp slithered down my throat before I quickly dipped my head to him, "y-yes sir, I understand..."

"Good boy. Now, the address and order are all on this paper." My father spoke before handing me a piece of paper that was clearly torn from a larger sheet, due to how rough the edges were.

"O-on it sir..." I sighed before rushing towards the back where the employee lockers were. I paused before a small locker that my father let me use. My hands quickly opened the lock, before I covered my entire body with a small coat. My hand tightened around the clothing article as I tightened the hood over my flaming hair in a quick second.

My hands reached into my pockets as I pulled out the paper my father had given me. My eyes scanned the paper quickly and a frown made it's way on my face. "Just the person I want to see..." the order was for Mrs. Vanilla Emanello, she was a vicious older woman who lived just on the edge of Snowdin. Almost every kid around here, feared her. A shiver ran down my spine, but I quickly shook my head before reviewing the order, 'one butterscotch brew' I shook my head before slamming my locker shut, better get this delivery over then waste my time.

My feet dragged me behind the bar as I grabbed a medium sized paper bag. My eyes scanned the large variety of beverages before I slowly picked up the butterscotch brew. The alcohol was in a deep golden bottle, that was almost clear enough to see my reflection in. My eyes had bags under them along with a small scratch on my right eye. A frown crossed my face as I remembered how I got that scratch.

\------  
My feet hurried down the hallway as a heavy force knocked me down. My feet sprawled out as I landed on my back. I quickly looked up in fear as a tall figure glared down at me. "Well, if it isn't the nerd known as Grillbert, whatcha gonna do, cry to your parents? Bet they could care less about a burden like you!" The figure narrowed it's cold eyes before punching me. My hands covered most of my face, but sadly I was to late to cover my left eye...  
\------------------

I quickly pulled my jacket around me, before racing out of the door. The bell ringed behind me as my feet trudged through the heavy snow. The area was dark and lifeless, aside from the trees that swayed in the heavy winds. My gaze narrowed, as I tried to ignore the snow that blew in my face. My flames began to dim as I pressed forward.

The snow was difficult to walk in, my feet sank about a foot underground as I wobbled within each step. Within a few moments I paused as my foot kicked an figure beneath me. A low groan was heard from the figure as they huddled into a tight ball, protecting something in their arms from the heavy winds.

"I'm so sorry, a-are you ok!" I stuttered, but instead of speaking the figure let out a low mutter. A sigh escaped my lips as I bent down closer to the figure, "It's not safe to stay out here, please let me take you to somewhere warm!"

The figure lifted its face up, to reveal a young skeleton. The skeletons eyes watched me for a moment before he nodded, "P-please..."

"Alright, come on!" I tossed the paper bag out of my hands and let it sink into the snow before helping the skeleton up. His arms were wrapped tightly onto a blanket that appeared to be holding something. I quickly wrapped an arm around the freezing skeleton, before I helped him move through the snow.

'Poor kid, I wonder how long he has been out here.' My mind raced a mile a minute, but for some reason none of the thoughts cared about the bottle of Butterscotch nor the fact that I would definitely be grounded for this. My feet hurried forward as I half-dragged the skeleton through the snow until I reached my father's bar. I quickly opened the door, listening to the bell ring as I pushed the boy inside.

The door slammed behind us as the boy shivered before checking whatever was inside of the blanket. A relived sigh escaped his lips before he turned around to face me. The skeleton was rather short, he wore a dark green gown over his body and had massive bags under his eyes.

"T-thank you so much." The boy whispered before tightening his grasp around the bundle.

"My pleasure, names Grillby by the way, who are you?"

"Names Sans." The skeleton paused before moving the blanket slightly, revealing a skeleton that was really young. "This is my baby brother Papyrus..."

My eyes softened as Sans shifted his brother closer to him. 'He was out there with a child...' I quickly shook the thought away before I smiled at him, "where are your parents?"

Sans paused before icy tears flooded down his light gray skull. His grasp tightened around Papyrus as he slowly cried over the child. "W-we..." Sans paused before continuing, "we do not have any parents, nor a family at that..."

"I-I'm so sorry for asking." I paused as a loud rumble sounded from the two brothers. A frown crossed my face before I hugged Sans tightly, allowing the younger male to cry into my shoulder. "How about I cook you guys something to eat. Who knows how long it's been since you've had something to eat!" 

I paused before a small booth, allowing Sans to slide into it as he continued to hold onto Papyrus. The skeleton looked yo and a small twinkle shone in his eyes as he quickly nodded, "th-that would be nice."

"Well then, Welcome to my Father's bar and restaurant. My name is Grillby and I will be taking care of you tonight. What would you like to eat?"

"I-I can choose what to eat?"

I felt tears threaten to escape my eyes as Sans looked up at me in surprise. 'What has this poor kid been through?!' I quickly smiled at him before nodding, "Of course, we have a large variety such as Hotdogs, Burgers, Fries, Spaghetti..."

Sans stopped me midsentence as he tilted his head, "Hotdog- that sounds good. C-Can I have one of those?"

"Of course you can. What should I make your brother?"

Sans glanced down at Papyrus before whispering his name. The smaller skeleton let out a large yawn before blinking open his eyes. Two dark eyes looked up at Sans and a smile appeared on Papyrus' face. "B-Brother, where are we?"

"Were somewhere safe Paps, thanks to Grillby here." Sans softly spoke. Papyrus looked up at me and smiled. "Grillby is offering us something to eat Paps, what do you want?"

"We can eat anything?!" Papyrus yelped in shock as his gaze brightened with glee. Sans nodded quickly and I restated the entire menu to Papyrus. The younger skeleton took a moment to decide before smiling, "Spaget?"

"Two Hotdogs and a medium spaghetti, coming right up!" I quickly raced toward the back and looked towards a flight up stairs that led into the apartment my parents and I lived in. Thankfully everyone should be asleep by now.

Minutes passed until I was finally finished with both of the orders. I sprinkled some cheese over the spaghetti and put a ketchup and mustard bottle onto the hotdog tray. My hands grasped both trays carefully as I walked slowly out of the back towards my hungry customers.

As I approached I found Sans holding Papyrus as they both spoke to each other in mere whispers. The smell of the food alerted them as they quickly turned their attention towards me. "Order up boys." I released the trays before them and watched in awe as they both gobbled down their food within seconds.

My hands folded around my chest before I began to speak again, "how old are you guys, anyways?"

Sans looked up from his meal before whipping his face with his arm, "I'm eight years old. Papyrus is only two, but in a week he will be three."

"So your my age?" I smiled as Sans shrugged his shoulders at this statement.

Even though I gave both brothers a water with their meals. Sans ignored his water. He slowly picked up the mustard bottle and sniffled the lid before shaking his head. His arm reached forward as he picked up the Ketchup. His hands removed the lid and I watched in surprise as he drank the entire bottle.

"Woah that's good, what is this stuff?!" Sans asked as he finished the condiment before looking up at me.

"That is called Ketchup, it's used as a dipping sauce."

"You mean drink right?"

"I- yes, drink..." I chuckled as Sans' allowed his tongue to come out as he licked his face. Papyrus watched us for a moment before letting out a small yawn. Sans yawned back, showing how tired both siblings were. A giggle escaped my lips before I picked up their empty trays.

"How about you guys come with me, you guys can sleep in my room with me for tonight."

"A-Are you sure Grillbz, I don't want Papy and I to be a bother..." Sans sighed as he called me a silly nickname.

I smiled at the name before nodding. "A bother? Neither of you will be a bother. Come on, I can give you guys a nice warm bed to sleep in tonight."

"Gee, thanks Grillbz- for everything."

"Anytime friend, now follow me." I quickly lifted the trays and began to walk to the back. I walked slowly and listened to the footsteps that trudged behind me. I disposed of the empty trays into the nearby garbage can before pausing in front of the stairs. "We have to be quiet while going up. My parents are asleep, and it will be dangerous for us if they wake up."

Sans nodded slowly before wrapping his arms around Papyrus. His brother giggled before putting a finger on Sans' face as though shushing him. I quickly walked upwards, as Sans followed close behind me with Papyrus in his arms.

I quickly pushed open the door, listening to the calming atmosphere of the apartment as Sans hurried inside. I softly closed the door behind us before sighing. "Alright, my room is this way." I pointed to our left and Sans nodded before following me away from the living room.

As we entered my bedroom, Sans let out a gasp of awe, although I did not understand why. All I had was a closet and a twin bed. "Woah..." the skeleton held Papyrus closer to him before scratching his head. "So where should Papy and I sleep?"

"You guys can sleep on my bed with me. I'm going to quickly change into night clothes. I would offer you guys some, but I doubt anything I wear could fit either of you- unless you want to wear something big..."

"That's alright, we don't mind sleeping in these!" Sans spoke quickly. I nodded before opening my closet. I took out a shirt and a pair of shorts before turning around.

However as I did so, I found both brothers already fast asleep on my bed. Sans was lying on the far right as he held Papyrus close to his chest. A chuckle escaped my lips before I changed and hopped into bed beside them. "Night guys, I hope that my dad doesn't mind letting you both stay with us..."


	3. Chapter 2

Sans' POV

I quickly raced down the hallway, listening to the sound of Gaster blasters chasing behind me as they tried to shoot their lasers at me. I quickly slid around a corner and began to pant as I pressed my body against the wall. 'It's no use- I will never be able to outrun him. After all he knows my weaknesses.' I let out a deep breath and allowed my head to peep around the corner to only feel my soul stop in my chest.

Gaster glared at me before talking to me with his hands. "Really thought you could outrun me Sans? You should know how bad you are at athletics."

I breathed out a sigh before meeting Gasters face, my left eye turned blue as I looked up at him, "please just stop. There is no need to use Papy and I for whatever you are working on."

Gaster chuckled before turning his crooked smile away from me. "Your right, I don't need a failed experiment like you when I have Papyrus around..."

"No!" I yelled out before grabbing Gaster by his lab coat.

The doctor down at me before tugging his coat out of my grasp, "Get off me!!"

"No, I will not allow you to touch Papyrus. Even if you kill me while trying to reach him!"

"Pathetic..." Gaster growled before turning my soul blue. My eyes fixed onto his sockets before I felt a wall slam into my spine. "Besides, experiments do not need care..."

\-----------------  
Grillby's POV

The sound of slight whimpering awoke me from my slumber as I turned my head to find Sans curled up around Papyrus. His younger brother was staring at him while poking Sans" cheek. I slowly reached out my arm before shaking Sans. "Hey wake up, it's just a nightmare..."

Sans let out a loud whimper of fear before jolting awake. His eyes were glazed with panic as he accidentally rolled off the bed. I opened my mouth to ask if he was alright to only be interrupted by the sound of my door opening.

"Grillbert Emberstone, what was all that ruckus!" My father yelled out as he stepped inside. Sans let out a whimper of fear before getting up to hold Papyrus close to him. My father narrowed his eyes at the two skeletons before looking at me. "Why are there strangers in your room? I told you hundreds of times already to never talk to strangers!"

"Dad please I can explain..." I quickly spoke up before standing in front of Sans and Papyrus, I looked up at my father as his dark eyes narrowed at me. "They were freezing out there and had no place to go. All I did was offer them food and shelter!"

"You gave them food? Grillbert, food is not free you idiot! These boys need to pay for your actions."

"No, please-" I paused and looked behind me at Sans who was now trying to sush Papyrus who was sobbing on his shoulders. "Leave them alone. Let them leave the bar and never return father. In return you can do whatever to me. Please just leave my friends out of this..."

"Fine, they have one minute to leave my house and bar. If I catch these boys around after that minute, I will kill them on sight. Understood?"

"Y-Yes father..."

"Good now get moving. Times ticking away." My father growled before slamming the door shut as he marched out of my room.

"We need to get going!" I yelled out before turning around.

Sans looked up at me as his eyes widened. "What about you- I can't just leave you here!"

I breathed out a sigh and grabbed Sans by the shoulder before pushing him forward, "Don't worry about me. Just leave the bar and go to the igloo across the street. It is an abandoned transportation hub. I will meet you guys there as soon as I can- understood?"

Sans breathed out a sigh and nodded as we walked down the stairs to go into the bar. "Understood."

"Good now get moving, times almost up!" I yelled out before pushing Sans forward. The skeleton looked back at me as he held Papyrus close to his cheat. He quickly shook his head and raced forward before leaving the shop.

"Looks like your friends got lucky. He left exactly on the last second." My father remarked as he slipped into the room from the back of the restaurant.

"What do you want from them!" I growled before looking up at my father, "those boys did nothing wrong!"

My father huffed in frustration before yanking my arm. A gulp went down my throat as my natural ginger flames turned purple out of fear. The heavy metal doors that led into the kitchen slammed shut behind us as my father shoved me against a wall. My body slid until I fell into a sitting position. My father crossed his arms as he glared down at me while holding a silver bucket.

I opened my jaw in fear, realizing what was coming, but before I could say anything my father pulled my left arm and pushed it beside the bucket. Inside was the clear substance known as water. Which was also a fire elementals worst enemy.

The chilly water dances around my arm as a wail of distress escaped my lungs. My father pushed down on my left arm, making sure it was impossible to escape. Lava-like tears flooded down my cheeks as I watched smoke steam out of the bucket. The flames on my arm died down turning my arm into nothing but ash.

What felt like centuries of screaming must have passed until my father finally let go. I reluctantly pulled out my arm and gasped at the sight. Instead of being bright orange with flames dancing around. My arm was now an ebony color while ashes slowly flaked off my newly formed wound.

My father glared at me with a cold look of hatred. "Leave my restaurant and go up to your room. I do not want to see you again today, Grillbert. I expected better from you. Now go, before I decide to punish you again!" Before he could say anything else my body jolted up the stairs. I quickly turned to the left before slamming the door shut behind me.

A gasp escaped my lips as I made my way through my room. The bed that the three of us had slept in that night was a mess and tear stains could easily be spotted on my golden bedsheets. My stomach churned as I remembered the plan I made for Sans and Papyrus.

Before thinking of how to do my plan I quickly opened up my bedroom window and felt a heavy gust of wind blow through my flames. I grabbed ahold of the windowsill before I slowly worked my way out. My hands grasped the roof of my Father's restaurant before I dangled my feet over the edge and carefully leaped into a nearby pile of snow. The soft sheet-like material caught my body, allowing me to slide onto my feet.

My arms pulled against the sides of my coat, tightening it around my body. I quickly raced in front of my Dad's restaurant before I made my way towards the igloo. I paused on the outside and sighed as I heard the brothers talking.

"When will we go home?" Papyrus cooed, I peered inside to find Sans holding his brother close to his chest to keep him warm.

"Soon, Papyrus don't worry about a thing. Before you know it, we will have a place to live in."

"B-but what about Daddy? Will he live with us?"

"Of course Papy..." I could hear the tear in Sans' voice as he tried to say that without breaking in front of his brother. "We will all live a happy life."

I cleared my throat, giving the brothers the knowledge of my presence before stepping into the igloo. "Hey, sorry for taking so long!"

Sans watched me with fear for a moment before opening his jaw to speak. "G-Grillbz, what happened?"

"Nothing did, why?"

Sans pulled my left arm up and pointed towards the flakes that were still falling from my black arm. "Grillby..."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. This will heal within time. For now, we need to focus on getting you and Papyrus to shelter."

"How can you, I doubt there are any places abandoned!" Sans scoffed before hugging Papyrus. The younger skeleton blinked at me before smiling.

As Sans' words filled my brain my invisible eyes lit up. "There is a place that's abandoned in Snowdin, you guys can live there!" I quickly got to my feet and started to walk out of the igloo and towards the house. However I paused when Sans grabbed my jacket sleeve.

"Are you sure it's abandoned?"

"Yeah I am. The last owner left the place 3 years ago and never came back to it. Some say he was busy with his work, but he never stepped foot back into his old house."

A smile made it's way onto Sans' face before he raced forward and hugged me. Papyrus was clinging onto his shoulders as Sans held me tightly. "Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to Papy and me!"

I smiled and hugged him back, "of course come on now. We can't stay out here or we will freeze!"

Minutes passed until we were finally in front of the abandoned house. It was a two story building that always looked homey, even though it was abandoned. I paused in front of the door and pushed it open. Sans bounded behind me with Papyrus on his shoulders as we made our way inside. To our surprise the house had some furniture in it. There was a couch in the center of the room facing a television and there were some tables placed around with books on them.

"This place is amazing!" Sans gaped as he turned towards me and smiled once more. "Thanks for everything Grillby. I am in your debt."

"Don't mention it, now go on ahead and rest. I'll be heading back home. I will visit you every chance I have." I spoke up before wrapping an arm around my short friend. My heart leapt in my chest as I sighed, this would be the start of the best friendship I could have ever wanted...


	4. Chapter 3

Sans' POV

The echoing sounds of the Snowdin town echoed around me as I carried Papyrus through the crowds. At least a week had passed since Grillby showed us that abandoned house. I was starting to plan ways to make it our own, but before I even continue with that, I need to get Papyrus and I some new clothes. After all, we shouldn't go around wearing nothing more than some old clothing that Grillby was kind enough to give us.

"Are we there yet?" Papyrus asked with annoyance as I continued to carry him on my shoulders.

"Not yet, but we should be there shortly." 

A minute passed until he asked again. "Are we there yet?"

I laughed and shook my head, knowing that he was just craving some form of excitement. After all, it couldn't have been fun to be carried around everywhere you go. "No Papyrus, but I promise that after we buy ourselves some new clothes I will buy you a nice-cream."

Papyrus let out a squeak of excitement and remained silent the rest of the way, giving me time to travel through my thoughts. Did I really consider raising Papyrus by myself? I mean, I'm barely old enough to take care of myself, let alone my younger brother, but I will have to do my best.

We finally made it to one of the shops. The snowflakes danced around us as I carried Papyrus past the windows. "Sans wait!" He spoke up, as I passed one of the windows. He jumped off my shoulders and pressed his skull against the window. I slowly turned around and followed after him to find a dark red scarf tied around one of the necks of a mannequin. He watched that scarf with anticipation, as though it had his name written all over it.

My eyes glanced past the scarf and towards the tag that was turned slightly in my direction. "4 gold", is what the tag read. I quickly dug into the pockets of the tight jacket that Grillby had given to me and pulled out the spare gold before counting them. 7 gold, was all we had- enough to buy both of us maybe one set of clothes. I glanced back at Papyrus who was still staring at the scarf and sighed. He deserves to be happy. After all, he did watch me kill our father- or whatever barely 9 days ago.

"Alright Paps, let's go inside." I said with a weak smile before leading my little brother inside.

Ten minutes passed until we had stepped out of the store. All that I bought was a single T-Shirt and a Pair of Jeans for Papyrus along with that scarf. He was happily wearing it, as he stomped in the snow in front of me. I still had barely 2 gold left, which was probably just enough to buy ourselves 2 nice-creams. Aside from that, we were completely broke. Unless- I paused mid step as the thought crossed my mind, I could always get a job in order to actually pay for food and stuff for Papyrus and me. I mean, we have no adults around to take care of us and Grillby's father barely acknowledges our existence. My hand grabbed onto Papyrus' arm as I dragged him down the frosted-road. His feet happily stomped on the ground as he began to hum a little tune on our way to the nice-cream stand.  
\---------  
A little over an hour has passed since I got us- well Papyrus new clothing. My body lay across the couch that was left in the abandoned house as I watched the ceiling with slightly open eyes. Papyrus raced around me begging to go places to explore the world around us. A small knock was heard at the door, forcing me to sit up as Papyrus raced towards it. He must have wanted to greet everyone. Wherever he went if he saw someone he would race for them and say hi, almost as though everywhere you looked, a new friend could be made. I guess over the past few days, he has forgotten what it was like to be in that lab. Then again, he was not down there for as long as I have and does not have to worry about whenever the real world would be just as bad...

I snapped out of my daydream to find Grillby walking inside of the house with Papyrus following behind him. The Fire-Elemental wore a long stripped sweater with long pants. He paused and smiled at me. "H-Hey, I thought I would come and see how you were both doing."

I quickly chuckled, "Eh- we are both okay..." I paused and breathed out a sigh, "Hey, Grillby-?" He sat on the couch beside me and let out a hum as though telling me he was listening. Papyrus quickly climbed up onto the sofa and sat on Grillby's lap, as though he were an adult. I smiled at this, knowing it was good to have someone to feel safe around. "I-...I wanted to know if you know where I could get a job at?"

He frowned for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I heard that the Inn could use some extra help around there. Although, you should hurry for an application before they run out of empty spaces."

"Alright thanks." I spoke before breathing out a sigh. I stared at the ground, as Grillby wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into a hug. I looked up in surprise as he looked down at me with the kindest smile that I have ever seen aside from Papyrus. I felt my face turn red as I looked away, but I could not understand why- why did I feel so bubbly inside lately whenever I am with Grillby. Is it because I enjoy hanging out with him? Probably, but there is nothing I can do, but be thankful for having a great friend around.  
\----------------------------


	5. Chapter 4

Grillby's POV:

Lately it's been getting pretty hectic at my dad's bar. He's been trying to keep up with his regular's, but after my mom's death many years ago, he hasn't been able to keep up with his job, nor with my life. I breathed out a sigh as I watched the ceiling above me. My arms wrapped against my chest as I listened to the blunt sounds that drifted off from downstairs. Tomorrow was the first day of school, and I was ecstatic to bring Sans with me. After all, he seemed like he has never even been in a town nor use magic at all. My eyes closed as I remembered how I had to try to introduce him to people.

\-------  
Sans watched me with bewildered eyes and quickly hid behind me. His body shook as he clinged onto me. Almost as tight as Papyrus had been clinging to him. The shop keeper tilted her head and chuckled, "Who is you friend, Grillbert, he seems as though he has never met anyone other than you and that smaller kid on his back!" 

I smiled and grabbed Sans' arm before pulling him beside me. He looked at me with nervous eyes before I wrapped an arm around him to try to show some comfort. "This is Sans!" I looked at the short skeleton and sighed, "Don't worry, she won't harm you!"

He slowly nodded and looked up before saying in merely a small whisper, "H-Hello."

"Why hello there darling!" The shop keeper smiled politely, "You boys go and play now You hear? And stay out of trouble!!"

"Yes ma'am!" We both spoke, I looked over at Sans and noticed that his shaking had stopped, he must be slowly growing confident seeing as this was the fourth person I have introduced him to. This will be a long process, but I believe in him!  
\--------

I breathed out a slight chuckle before rolling onto my side. Even if things are getting better, I wonder what happened to him before I found him out in the snow. I still remember looking into his eyes and finding nothing, but biter fear of his surroundings. 

My body rolled over as I turned off the lamp on my nightstand before covering my face with my pillow. Tomorrow would bring a new adventure. A memory that will stay with me forever, and I can't wait to welcome that adventure.  
\--------

The next morning rolled around pretty quickly. For the first time in months, my fathers bar was pretty full. Adults walked in, wanting a drink or to just talk to their friends. I casually packed my bag, listening to the ongoing conversations that went on around me.

"Did you hear about those new kids?" An old rabbit spoke to her husband. My flame flickered at this sentence as I listened closely, but continued to pack for school.

"You mean those two skeletons?" Her husband spoke up.

"Yes those boys, Herald."

"Well then, what about them?"

The old rabbit sighed and folded her arms, "those kids came out of nowhere. Almost as though they have no family. Honestly, they look awfully a lot like the Royal Scientist."

"Wing Ding, Gaster? You can't be serious, those boys do not look like they could hold the slightest bit of intelligence, let alone the amount Gaster had." The rabbits husband who went by Herald explained before breathing out a long sigh.

"Yes- I know..." She paused and twitched her ears, "I guess I'm just curious. After all, it isn't common to find Skeletons after the great war." Her husband hummed in agreement as I tightened my bag around my shoulders and stepped outside. Honestly, I have never met let alone see an image of the Royal Scientist. However, it is quite peculiar that Sans and Papyrus could be related to him...

I shook my head, clearing the thought as I hurried towards the house that I had helped Sans and Papyrus call their home. My feet skid to a halt in front of their door as I let myself inside. The atmosphere sent a welcoming breeze as my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit area.

Papyrus was sprawled out on the couch, snoring his soul out. Meanwhile Sans was racing around to gather materials. I casually walked towards him, startling Sans to a halt. "H-Hey Grillby!"

"Hey Sans, did you forget to pack yesterday?" I laughed before pointing towards his schoolbag that was laid out on the floor.

The skeleton scratched his skull and nodded, "yeah, but I was also trying to leave out food and stuff for Papyrus I just-"

"Don't worry Sans, he will be fine. School will only take 2 hours of your time. Besides, he looks peaceful, almost as though he could sleep for hours."

Sans watched his brother with a long look of dread, but looked back at me and nodded, "I-I guess so."

"Great now let's get going, school isn't going to wait for us, you know!" I chuckled and grabbed Sans' arm before dragging him out the door. The breeze ruffled my flame as I led Sans through the frozen-over path. Sans wobbled around, trying to find his feet every so often. I chuckled at the sight of this and allowed him to hold onto my hand, before leading him closer to school. I paused before a small building and smiled over at him. "Here it is!"

"This is the school?"

"Yep!"

His eye sockets widened in curiosity as he watched the building. I glanced over at him dumbfounded as he continued to watch the building. Almost as though he expected the building to sprout out education for him. "Well-?" I finally spoke, snapping Sans out of his trance. He looked over at me and tilted his skull. "Are you ready to go inside?"

"I think so..." He awkwardly muttered before hiding his hands behind his back. The old knitted sweater I had given him tightened around his chest as he did this.

A sigh escaped from me before I grabbed him by the hand, startling him slightly. He looked up at me with a slightly nervous smile, "it will be okay." I told him, "I promise nothing bad will happen, and if it does I will be right by your side to solve it."

He nodded and gave me a genuine smile, "alright, I trust you." I smiled in thanks and led him inside. Children our rage raced around, preparing for class or just talked to each other near sets of lockers. I continued forward as Sans pressed closer behind me, probably to steer any wandering eyes away from him.

A few minutes passed until we finally made it into class. Sans awkwardly looked around at the students who were chatting before class started. The teacher walked forward and noticed him. "Hello, what's your name?"

The shy skeleton quickly got behind me as the teacher raised one of her furry eyebrows. Her long gray tail swished back and forth in curiosity. "This is Sans, he is new to school." I told her, she nodded while looking Sans up and down, probably noting his attire.

"Alright Grillby, you may take a seat. Sans I want you to stay up here with me."

Sans shot me a look of fear and I gently laid my hand on his shoulder. "It will be okay." I reminded him, he slowly nodded and watched as I took a seat near the front row.

"Welcome back class." The teacher began, causing the entire room to go into a quick silence. I wrapped my arms, watching Sans with gentle eyes as the class slowly began to whisper about Sans. I breathed out a sigh, hoping they wouldn't judge him to thoroughly as the teacher continues. "I hope your winter break went well. Anyways, before we begin, it appears we have a new student." She turned to look at Sans, "why don't you introduce yourself, dear?"

Sans awkwardly stepped forward and looked as though he wanted to speak, but paused and looked up at me for guidance. I gave him a quick encouraging nod, to show it was safe to speak. "H-Hi, my name is Sans..." He spoke gently, and went silent quickly.

"Welcome Sans, I hope you enjoy your time here. Anyways, you may go take a seat."

He nodded and looked down at the ground and hurried forward towards me. I looked over at an empty desk and sighed, relieved that he had somewhere to sit close to me. However, a loud thud interrupted me from my thoughts. I looked over to find Sans on the ground as some kids laughed.

"Stupid bone-head!" One of them began.

"Where did you come from, the dump? Hah, you look like everything you own is hand-me-downs!! You must stink."

"Pathetic."

Sans slowly got to his feet, and looked down at the ground and raced for the seat beside me. He took a seat and placed his skull down on the table, almost as though he wanted to cry, but couldn't. I reached out my arm and placed it gently on his shoulder in empathy as he breathed out a lengthy sigh. I'm so sorry you are being bullied. I wish I could help you, but I'm scared of them myself. I thought, while watching him with a sorrowful look. Maybe someday, we will be able to fight back against them.

\---+---+---

Sans' POV:

I fell forward, falling skull-first onto the concrete-floor. Echoes of laughter stormed around me as my body shivered in regret. Voices sounded after the large thud that followed my body, but I could barely hear them. All I could hear were the voices in my head. "Idiot- you could have avoided that!" I shook my skull, trying to lower the volume of the thoughts and finally stood up.

My eyes stared at the ground as I finally made it to the seat. I sat beside Grillby and buried my skull into the desk as tears rolled down my cheeks. "I'm such an idiot for thinking I would be welcomed. I am nothing, but an outsider. Nothing, but an orphan who killed their father..."

My hand gripped into a fist as an arm touched my shoulder. A familiar and warm feeling relaxed my tensed shoulders. I breathed out a sigh at the genuine feeling of empathy before slightly looking up to where the teacher was. I glanced at my peers who were lined all around me and shook my head, this would be a long day.  
\--  
The bell finally rang releasing everyone from the building. Grillby led me through the flocks of students who were trying to contain me in the school of hell. Finally we managed to leave. The fire-elemental shot me a look and smiled, "That wasn't so bad now was i-"

I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Grillby to stop as well. I quickly shook my head and pressed forward, ignoring the older monster as he nagged on and on about how that incident was nothing. Honestly, all I could feel in my heart was fury. I mean, I did nothing wrong, all I did was come to school- right?

After a few minutes, we finally stood in front of his house- well his fathers bar for the most part. He turned and looked down at me and smiled, "Well, today sure was interesting. I wonder what other adventure awaits us, Sans." The fire elemental turned his head to the door and breathed out a sigh, "anyways, I should head inside before my father nags to me until I turn to dust. See you Sans!"

I watched as he raced away, the door slamming shut behind him. My feet kept me rooted to the ground in front of the bar until I was finally able to walk home. The large door stood in front of me, I quickly opened the door and to my surprise, nothing but silence wrapped around me.

"Papyrus!?" I called out, half-expecting a loud scream of excitement to come from somewhere in the house. However, there was nothing. Nothing, but the echoes of my own voice ringing throughout the house. A shiver went down my spine as I raced upstairs still shouting my younger brothers name. "Papyrus, where are you?!"

A good twenty minutes passed, and I was still unable to find Papyrus. My soul turned in my chest in worry as I looked around one last time. Beads of sweat raced down my forehead, and tears threatened to leave my eye sockets, but I refused to let them. My gaze looked over the house once more. Where could he be? He has never gone out alone... I need help-!

My feet began to carry me towards the front door, almost as though I commanded them to. Guilt went through my chest and gave me a slight sick-feeling as I raced for help. My feet continued to lead me towards Grillby's fathers house- well bar for the most part. Once I got there, tears were finally forming in my eyes and a lot of people were staring at me. Some were whispering to their companions about a scene I was causing.

I reached forward and banged on the door, ignoring the stares that people were giving me while passing. My attention finally focused on the door and I banged on it once more. Feeling a shiver of every race through my body. Almost as though he could feel this energy, the door creaked open to reveal Grillby on the other side. "Sans, what is it. You know you can't be h-."

"Papyrus is missing!"

"Wait what?!" The fire elemental's eyes widened and he quickly closed the door before walking closer to me. "What do you mean-?"

"I- he wasn't at the house. I-I looked everywhere for him for a solid 40 minutes!!" My soul broke inside of me, as more tears fell down my face in a full sob. Grillby quickly raced forward and hugged me, whispering light things to me in an attempt to sooth my lingering fear.

"Hey-hey. It's going to be okay. I promise that we will be able to find him Sans." He finally let go of me, but kept his left hand on my shoulder. "I promise we will."

I sniffled slightly and smiled, "Thank you, Grillby..."

"Anytime, Sans... Anyways, in order to find Papyrus we will need to split up. I will search the entire town of Snowdin and you can look in Waterfall, seeing as out of the two of us- your the only one able to go there."

"What if neither of us find him-"

"Then we will get someone to search the Hotlands." Grillby gave me one last hug and smiled down at me, "I promise we will find him." He let go once more and handed me a small rectangular box. "Here, this is a cell-phone. If you find Papyrus, press the center button to call me. I will do the same if I find him."

I looked up at my friend and nodded, "okay."

"Good, now let's hurry. It will be nightfall in a few hours." The fire elemental tightened his coat and began to race away from me.

My eyes averted the figures who were around the town as I raced towards the Waterfall entrance where it connected with Snowdin. A few echo-flowers sat outside of the door, frost-bitten by the bitter icy breeze. I watch the entrance for a moment before hurrying through the area. Tall grass brushed against my body as I raced around, searching for the familiar figure of Papyrus.

A loud splash interrupted me from my search. I turned my skull, feeling a slight nervousness race through my spine. I walked towards the splash to find a blue figure who looked very young dive into some water. I watched in shock as the figure dragged a slightly taller pale-gray figure. My soul chruned in my chest as I noticed the red scarf on the figure. Papyrus.

I raced forward, sliding down the muddy slope before skidding my feet to a halt a few inches away from the blue figure. I was finally able to see what they looked like. The savior of my brother was a young fish-human-hybrid. She had long red hair that was down in pigtails. She pushed down on Papyrus' chest until my brother finally coughed up some water. "Nyeh- what happened?"

"You slipped into the water, bone head!" The fish-hybrid burst out laughing, and Papyrus joined along.

"Nyeh, well thank you for saving me-"

"Undyne. My name is Undyne." She spoke up with a smile.

"Well thank you Undyne. I, the great Papyrus, am forever thankful."

Undyne chuckled and punched Papyrus lightly on the shoulder, "your okay, Papyrus. Hey, want to hangout later?!"

"Splendid idea!"

"Great- now I should get going, my dad is going to worry if I stay here longer. Bye Papyrus!" She raced away, her hair beating her back as she vanished into some tall grass. Papyrus let out a sigh and turned to face me.

"Heh, it's good to see you made a friend Papyrus." I chuckled and wrapped both my arms around him, Papyrus laughed and returned the favor, hugging me tightly. "Now let's go home, so then I can make you some dinner."

"Nyeh, I will race you there, brother!" Papyrus sprinted towards the exit leading towards snowdin, leaving me in his dust.

I let out a chuckle and took out the cellphone to tell Grillby I found Papyrus. However, upon grabbing the phone, I couldn't help but sigh. Life may be hard for now, but someday everything will get better for the two of us.


	6. Chapter 5

Sans POV:

My arm swung open the fridge and I peered inside to find only enough for one person to eat left. I closed the door and gazed down at my empty stomach. I recently told Grillby that I could pay for food for Papyrus and I, but that was a lie. The memory crossed my mind as I slowly stepped out of the kitchen.  
\----  
Grillby walked into our house, holding a delightfully scented bag of muffins. He set the muffins down on the dusty table and smiled at Papyrus and me. "I brought you both some muffins!"

I felt a rush of guilt gnaw at my ribs as Papyrus began to eat one. Recently I took on another job, leaving me with two along with school. Thankfully, the jobs are close to home, giving me time to check on Papyrus. "Hey Grillbz, can I talk to you?" I asked, as a thought crossed my mind, that I felt dead-set on.

Grillby looked up and nodded to me. He gently hugged Papyrus before walking in my direction. He paused beside me and folded his arms. "What's up-?"

"Grillby- I don't know where to start, but thank you so much for showing such kindness, by feeding us and all of that." I paused, Grillby opened his mouth to speak, but I quickly continued. "However, now that I have two jobs, I feel as though I could pay for ourselves."

"Are you sure- but what if-?"

"I'm fine Grillbz, besides, I don't want your father catching you helping me again." I sighed, remembering how poor of a father Grillby had. His father literally puts his son in water just for helping other children. I watched Grillby and looked over at the bruised area where his dad had dunked his arm in water about a week ago. All because he gave us some fries that morning.

Grillby sighed, and reluctantly gave me a small nod. "I understand..."

"Nonetheless, I am still honored you helped us." I smiled up at the fire elemental, he chuckled for a moment and smiled down at me.  
\-----  
The memory faded around me as I fell onto the lime green couch. I rubbed my eye sockets in exhaustion, as Papyrus raced downstairs. He paused in front of me, his scarf waved in the air, showing as much excitement as he was. "Good morning brother!"

"Heya Paps, breakfast is in the fridge for you."

Papyrus frowned and shook his head. "No, you should eat!" Even though he was three, Papyrus was smarter than any average kid. He looked up at me and crossed his arms. "When was the last time you ate Sans- over 3 days ago?"

My soul churned as Papyrus watched me with sad eyes. I breathed out a sigh, "N-No, of course not. I ate yesterday- after you went to bed!"

"Are you sure, brother?" Papyrus asked, trying to take in my lie word by word. I quickly nodded, to tell him it was the truth. Papyrus sighed and nodded, "Oh-alright, I guess. Anyways, after breakfast I am going out with Undyne to walk around Waterfall!"

"Be safe Papyrus, and-"

"'If you need anything call me.'" Papyrus repeated, knowing by know that is what I would say, "yes I know..."

"Good." I smiled and hugged Papyrus, allowing his skull to fall onto my shoulder. I slowly let go of him and smiled, "go have fun out there, Paps."

"Nyeh hehe, of course, brother! Nothing could stop I, the great Papyrus!" He turned on his heels and raced out the front door. Leaving me in his dust to watch him vanish from my sight.

I breathed out a sigh and leaned back on the couch. Only a few more hours until my first job. I stifled a yawn and slowly got up. My vision faded for a moment and I collapsed to the ground. I grunted in shock, not expecting the sudden impact of falling. My hands pressed down on the ground, allowing me to lift myself up.

I rummaged my hand against my eye sockets, questioning why that happened. I shook my skull and carried on outside the house. My job awaited me and hopefully, I will do good enough to get a raise.   
\----  
My feet frolicked in the snow beneath me, as I wobbled to and from my job. I got a job as a delivery boy for the town's shop. Every so often, I would be ordered by customers to drop off their groceries and stuff at their homes. The job was fairly easy, although my boss did not pay me well. Luckily however, an elderly couple gave me tips to keep to myself.

I slowly walked back to the shop, the cold breeze rubbed against my bones, causing them to raddle on my way back. My boss watched me with cold narrowed eyes, "hurry it up will you? We have plenty of people who want their supplies!"

I sighed slightly, feeling my stomach churn in hunger. I felt weak, like I could not go on, but of course- I continued. I grabbed the next batch of groceries and headed to the house. My feet stomped in the snow beneath me. My vision slowly began to fade. My body rocked back in forth as an unseen dizziness shook the last of my vision. My body fell to the ground, snow slowly wrapped itself on top of me like a warm blanket. I closed my eyes and sighed allowing sleep to take over me.


	7. Chapter 6

Grillby's POV:

I quickly raced forward, looking down at my watch every so often. I was going to be late for class. I paused in my tracks, snow flew into the air behind me. Before me, swarms of people stood. Their backs were all turned to me as they grouped over something in the snow. A pair of medical monsters rushed through the group- something must have happened. I could feel my body inch forward as slight curiosity trickled through my flames. I peered over someone's shoulder to see what all of the commotion was about.

Suddenly, a gust of horror slapped me across the face as everything pieced together before me. In the snow lay Sans. His body was limp, as though he passed out. A medic lifted his shirt to try to heal him, but while doing so I caught a glimpse of his chest. He looked starved, like he had not eaten in over a few days. My heart dropped in guilt, realizing he had taken on so many jobs, yet he still did not have enough to feed himself, nonetheless have the freedom to sleep.

I quickly rushed forward as a sheen of green light flooded the area. The medics began to use their magic to heal the fallen skeleton. I fell to the ground on the other side of Sans and slowly grabbed onto his hand without thinking. My thumb moved back and forth along his bones rhythmically, as though soothing him from an unseen enemy. "This is all my fault." I whispered, low enough so no one could hear me. "If only I had pressured him to let me help. Then he wouldn't have been so exhausted." 

The crowd eventually vanished from around him. Everyone must have went back to their everyday life, as though the fallen skeleton was not worth their time. Even the medics left, probably assuming they had better things to take care of. My body remained slouched as I watched my friend sleep. My head sat on his skull, as though cradling his thoughts from realities grasp. After a few moments of sitting in this position I slowly got to my feet. I glanced down at Sans and lifted him up. My arms shifted beneath him, allowing me to hold him bridal style before I carried him back to the house. 

My foot kicked at the unlocked door, allowing it to creak open slowly. My light burned brighter, allowing me to see in the dim light before carrying Sans inside. The house was quiet, you could hear the sound of my footsteps from a mile away if you listened close enough. My feet carried me through the barely furnished house and I set the sleeping skeleton on the deep lime-green sofa. His legs curled close to his chest as he slept, almost as though he were trying to protect himself. 

I gingerly sat on the couch beside him, completely forgetting about how school had started an hour ago. The dust that the house had collected over the years floated around me. The gentle snoring of Sans calmed the atmosphere around me. Minutes passed until I got back onto my feet, having enough of how dirty the house was, I opened a closet door and found some old cleaning tools. 

The broom and mop guided my feet across the floor as I picked up any bit of dust, hair, or crumbs. Hours passed like a couple of minutes until I was finally finished. I glanced around the house, it looked good as new. Almost as though nobody had been living there. A small grunt of pain snapped me out of my trance and I looked over to find Sans slowly waking up.

His eye sockets opened and he looked around. "....What- didn't I....?" He quickly sat up, looking paranoid. I quickly raced forward, and pushed him back down. Sans looked up at me in fear and winced slightly. "Grillby- what are you?!"

"Sans, I am demanding you to stay on this couch."

"Grillby please- there is so much that needs to be done. I need too-"

I held him down, glaring straight down into his eyes, "You are staying here to rest. You have over worked yourself lately with school and multiple jobs. Besides, you starved yourself- for Asgore's sake when was the last time you ate anything?!"

Sans went dead silent, not responding, his gaze averted contact with me and a slight drip of sweat leaked down his skull. I released a small sigh and grabbed onto his hand. He looked up at me in shock, "Sans, as you're friend, I am begging you to take care of yourself. You will be given a week of bedrest, okay? I will take care of you and Papyrus until I am certain you have stopped stressing yourself..."

"I- I understand." *He said in barely a whisper. I let go of his hand and he looked up at me, "Grillby- I, really am sorry... I just... did not want to be a burden."

"Sans, it's okay to ask for help every once in awhile. Everyone needs help. Whenever they are strong, smart, brave, anything. So please, just ask me for anything. I will come to help you or Papyrus as soon as I can."

Sans smiled and hugged me tightly, my hand grasped the couch. His sudden movement almost caused me to fall on top of him. I released a chuckle as he let go of me. "Thanks for everything, Grillby."

Moments passed as I watched over Sans. He fell back asleep, laying peacefully on the couch. A smile made it's way onto my face as I looked away from him. Suddenly, the door creaked open and a pair of footsteps raced inside. I turned my head to find a familiar young skeleton racing inside. His long red scarf nearly tripped him as he closed the door behind him. His gaze then turned to me and he smiled, "Hello Grillby!"

"Hey Papyrus..." I chuckle as he smiled ear to ear. "How was school?"

"It was amazing! The teacher let us draw, read, draw some more..." He paused quickly.

"What's wrong?"

"B-But, they called me to the office later on and told me that Sans was injured... I- Is he okay Grillby? I don't know what I would do without him!!" The skeleton burst out into tears. He held the fabric of his scarf close to his eye sockets as it absorbed his tears. I slowly kneeled beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at me.

"It's okay Papyrus, he just- had a little accident. He is asleep right now, but I promise you he will be okay. In the meantime, I will be with you two for the rest of this week to make sure you are okay!"

Papyrus tilted his head, "B-But what about you're family?"

I winced slightly, I completely forgot about them. "I can- figure something out?" My hand went onto Papyrus skull and I smiled down at him, "anyways, why don't you go check on Sans? I will go out for ingredients for dinner, alright?"

"Okay, thanks Grillby!" He said with a large smile once again before racing to the couch where Sans lay.

A small chuckle escaped my mouth and I stared at the ground. I glanced up and walked to the front door. I had to grab ingredients for them. Even if it meant getting into a dispute with my father. The door slammed shut behind me, and I tugged on my coat, pulling it further around me before trekking down the snow covered ground. Crowds of monsters walked past me, going to do their daily activities. I paused before my father's bar and sighed, preparing for impact. However, as soon as I walked inside, a familiar voice took me by surprise.


	8. Chapter 7

Grillby's POV:

"Grillbert? Is that you?" The voice asked, I looked up, a familiar elderly golden fire-elemental stood in front of me. 

I tilted my head with a chuckle, "Oh, hey grandpa! What brings you here?" 

"Your father told me you never made it to school and asked for me to wait for you here. Now tell me, why didn't you go?" He asked, his gaze narrowing as he took a few steps closer to me.

I backed away, my back brushing against the wall. If there was anything I feared, it was both my dad and grandpa. I inhaled quickly and looked back at him. "One of my friends got hurt- and I had to help him!"

The sound of a door slamming across the room, in the direction of the kitchen caused me to jump. Loud and angry footsteps charged our way, as my father stood before his. His deep orange flame was large as it pulsed with hatred. "'Him' did you say, 'him'?"

"Y-Yes sir, but it- we are just friends!" I said quickly, he grabbed me by the shirt collar and pinned me against the wall, his gaze glaring deep into me. I could feel shivers run down my back as he held me tightly. 

"I told you to never hang around boys. You are supposed to be straight not one of those faggots!" He yelled, he flung me to the ground, the pressure of the floor colliding with my body made me yelp in fear. A foot stepped down on my chest, and I looked up at my father, to see him glaring down at me. "Someday when you are older, your going to be glad that I wiped you into good shape and kept you away from being gay!"

"B-But dad please..."

He glared down at me, "Even if it means moving to Hot land and forcing you to go to school there, I will do all I can, to ensure that you never become a faggot." My soul dropped at his words, I knew that deep down inside, whenever he said something, he really meant it.. I would be forced to leave Sans and Papyrus... He kicked me, forcing my body to roll on the floor for a moment. "Now get your ass upstairs and pack your things. We are leaving at dawn."

I forced myself to nod, as I tried putting weight down on my feet. A sharp pain arose from my left leg, but I ignored it as I stumbled up the stairs. I limped towards my room and shut the door quickly. My back slid down the wood and I fell to the ground. A stream of lava-tears fell out of my eyes as my body curled itself into a ball. I did not want to leave them. They are helpless and need someone to look after them. Then again, I'm to young to say no- my dad can always get what he wants seeing as I am nearly 9 years old... A sigh escaped my mouth as I looked over my room. I can say goodbye, I will pack my things, but say goodbye before going to bed. 

I began to scavenge through my room. I tossed objects into a large box and paused, my hand grabbed onto a small blue hoodie. I lifted it up, and wiped the dirt off it. The furred part of the coat was a medium gray color and felt real, even though it was made out of fake fur. I smiled weakly and looked down at it. I have never used it, and did not really need it. I held on to it, an idea forming in my head. I quickly brushed more dirt off the coat and folded it neatly before placing it on my bed. 

A couple more hours passed until I was fully packed. All that was outside of my stuff was the coat along with a few other clothing items that either I never used or did not have a reason to have. I gingerly closed the box and pressed my head against the door, nothing but silence greeted my ears, ensuring me that my dad and grandpa had either left or went to sleep. My feet carried me to the other side of the room as I unlatched the window. Pulling it backwards, the sound of a winter breeze ruffled my flames. Causing a small sigh to escape my lungs. With on last glance towards my bedroom door, I picked up the clothing and jumped outside. 

\-----

The cold snow crunched beneath my feet as I walked towards the large house. My hand curled into a fist as I held it over the door, I beat my hand against it and put it back in my pockets. The door creaked open and I was greeted by Papyrus. "Nyeh? Hello Grillby!"

"Hey Papyrus, may I- come in? I have something to tell you guys..."

Papyrus tilted his head, confused, but he nodded nonetheless, "Of course you can! Sans just woke up from his nap too! So you got both of our attentions!"

"That's great, thanks Papyrus..." The smaller male led me inside, I gently closed the door behind me and turned my head. 

He was already trying to get Sans to stop messing around, seeing as the eldest brother was reading a joke book. A smile sat on his face as he pretended to ignore Papyrus. He finally put the book down, and glanced in my direction, releasing a small chuckle. "Heya, Grillby."

I release a small sigh, "Hello Sans- I come bearing news, along with stuff I would like to give you both." I say, placing the clothing down on the couch beside Sans. I sit beside him, putting my head in my hands before continuing, "My father want's me to move- he says that by living in Snowdin, I'm becoming gay- and he does not want that..."

"Sh- I'm sorry.." Sans began- but I cut him off.

"It's not your fault, I'm sorry for leaving your lives after promising to help you both out."Tears started to leave my eyes and I began to sob. Two sets of arms wrapped around me. I looked down to find Papyrus hugging me on my left meanwhile Sans doing it to my right.

"Woah- it's okay Grillby!" Sans began, he looked over at me and moved a hand foreward, wiping my tears away. He smiled weakly, "I know that- your going to be gone for a long part of our lives, but promise us you won't ever forget us?"

"Yeah! You are like family to us! NYEH HEHE!" 

"T-Thanks Guys..." I utter quietly, placing on a smile. 

Sans chuckles at this and resumed to hug me, "Anytime, bud. And well- in the end, we will both be here when you return. I'm sorry your father is a terrible guy, but hopefully someday he changes his ways." I nod, sighing as I take in the warmth of their hugs, knowing for a fact there is an ending to everything. Just like how sometime soon, there will be an ending to this hug.

\----+----+-----

Sans' POV:

The gentle creek of the springs on the couch sounded beneath me. My legs curled closer to my chest. The powdery white snow blinded my eyes as I watched the outdoors. The townsfolk were moving about,, returning home from work or school.. However, even though the town was crowded with its townsfolk, there was still an empty feeling about it. Perhaps it was the fact that a once large part of the town was now gone. Grillby.

A hollow sigh escaped my ribcage and I tossed a glance beside me, a journal sat on the opposite side of me. I gazed blankly at the journal, remembering how Grillby gave it to me that night, and told me to write stuff down. Saying that if I ever felt sad, lonely, or even angry; I could just release my emotions through a simple form of writing. My hand scraped the cover of the book before lifting it up. It had been nearly two days since Grillby's absence and I have not written a single thing in the book.

I flipped it open, turning through the pages absent-mindedly as though expecting something to be written in them, nothing. I put it back down, leaning back on the couch with a sigh, I pushed my hands into the hoodie he gave to me. It's furred edges brushed against my bones as I felt the rim of the hoodie. My mind slowly snapped out of existence, watching the window with a blank stare.

I found myself traveling back, seeing Grillby come to help Papyrus and me as he found us in the snow. Two kids who were homeless. Two kids that brought trouble to him...

The sound of the front door creaking open snapped me out of my thought-train and I glanced over. Pure terror flooded down my bones as I saw Papyrus standing before me. He had a large crack on the top of his skull and multiple bruises on his body. My body lunged forward and I quickly kneeled beside him. His eye sockets were flooding with tears as he wept into his scarf, trembling before me. "Papyrus, what happened to you?!"

He sniffled, "I saw these two kids being bullied. S-So, I walked over and asked the bullies to leave them alone. The other two kids were shocked about this and told me to leave. I did not understand why, so I stayed. The bigger kids however, quickly started to hurt me. Th-They slammed me into a wall, threw rocks at me a-and stuff. Th-the other kids ran away without helping me a-and... I.." He broke down into a sob, "I just wanted to help them, brother!"

My hand went over Papyrus' body as I allowed my magic to heal him. I gazed at the floor with a burning hatred for these kids. Papyrus did nothing to them, but asked for them to stop. So why hurt someone like him? My eyes went back to his and I sighed. "I'm sorry Paps, you did not deserve that, bro."

"Nyeh? Maybe it was something I said?

"No, I doubt that, bro. They- are just people who want to be mean. But don't worry, I won't let them hurt you any more."

"Sans- what are you going to do?"

"Nothing bro."

"Sans!" Papyrus yelped in an angry tone.

"Alright- fine. I won't do anything, but Paps. Next time they do it, find an adult, okay?"

Papyrus nodded, hugging me tightly, "okay Sans, thanks!"

I smiled, hugging him back, he released me and raced off to his room. Probably to do schoolwork or to play. I tightened the jacket around me, getting to my feet. My eyes scanned back over to the door that led to Papyrus' room, making sure it was closed. I really shouldn't do this... then again, I also can't let those kids get away for bullying him. I turned away and walked outside, closing the door quietly behind me before teleporting to the school yard.

\------

Voices could be heard in the area as I pressed my body against the wall. Jusr as I had figured, they were all there still.

"Did you see the look on that skeletons face? 'Oh leave those guys alone!'"

"Did you see how a single rock made him break into tears!?"

"Yeah, what a looser!"

They all howled with laughter, like a pack of wolves sharing their new kill. My hands curled into a fist and I surpred a shiver of rage. Without thinking, my feet carried me in their direction. My left eye grew into its blue hue and I paused behind them. A bone balanced on my finger as I watched them, "Don't you kids know how to greet a new enemy? Turn around, and meet your doom for hurting innocent people."

"Ooh, scary words." One remarked as they turned around, they burst into laughter, leaning on the wall while laughing, "Oh no- an eight year old is going to shred us!" They laughed- obviously making fun of my size. The other two joined his mockery and laughter.

I moved forward, a fleet of bones rose out of the ground, leaving slight cracks in its surface as I glared at the older kids in rage. I chuckled dryly, "I may be small, but- I can still give you a nightmare of a time." The bones flew forward, hitting two in the kids in the chest. They scurried to their feet, fleeing the scene meanwhile their comrade lashed out at me.

It was difficult to see what he was due to the darkness, but I could feel claws attempting to scrape my bones as he fought me. I quickly used a surge of blue magic to pin him to the wall, he thrashed around trying to escape my grasp. I released him, watching his body fall to the ground, limp. My soul did not feel a single bit of remorse during this however. Instead I weakly smiled- glad to see the deed was done before leaving.

\---  
I scribbled this down in the diary, the sound of the pen scratching the surface of the paper filled the silent atmosphere of the house as I finished it. After a couple hours, I regret hurting those kids. They really did not deserve to be hurt, after all, they might be bullied or have something going on in their lives. Then again, they hurt Papyrus, so maybe it was for the greater good. I exhaled softly, shaking my skull before closing the journal. What was I thinking? Hurting kids was okay? I pushed the book on the other side of the couch, rubbing my head with a slightly uneasy stare. A sigh escaped my chest and I looked at the ground. I just need to be careful with what I do for now on...


	9. Chapter 7

Sans' POV

12/10/20XX

Dear Diary,   
Hey, it's Sans again... It's been a little over a month since Grillby has left now, hasn't it? My life- it hasn't been the same. In fact, I doubt it will go as smoothly as it did with Grillby around. It's felt like moons since I have last slept, and I just-

My pen scratched down the paper, making a large black line cutting diagonally across the page. A small droplet of water dripped down onto the sheet of paper. A bony hand raced over my eye-sockets as the journal slowly slid off my lap. I quickly rubbed my sleeves against my eye-sockets, absorbing the tears that raced down my cheeks, not wanting to became a sobbing mess. It really has been a month, hasn't it? Yet, I never got to know his new address or anything. What if we forget each other later on in life? What if he has already forgotten about me? I quickly shook my skull, trying to push the thoughts away. My head fell down against my hands and I pressed them to my temples. A feeling of guilt flooded over me. Maybe it's my fault he got in trouble, after all- he did skip school to help my sorry butt. Of course he would want to forget something- someone like me. 

Within seconds, more tears flooded out of my eye-sockets. It's icy cold water drenched my hands until I finally broke into a sobbing fit. Up to this point, I did not even care about trying to hide my emotions. I felt my knees curl closer to my ribcage as I curled up into a fetal position. The sleeves of the hoodie that Grillby gave me covered my eyes as I gently cried into it. A small shiver escaped me as I grasped for air every so often, my soul felt as though it had broke to shreds. As I wept, I did not notice the door creaking open slowly. In fact, I thought I was alone in the protection of my room until a pair of arms wrapped around me gently. I quickly wiped away my tears and blinked open my eyes to find Papyrus sitting before me. 

My younger brother leaned close to me, rubbing circles on my back as he tried to coax my sorrow. I smiled weakly, trying to hide my sorrow- just so then he would be happy. But- I could not help when the urge to sob grew stronger. Just the thought of holding in my sorrow of loosing my best friend made me want to curl in a ball and cry again. The younger skeleton wrapped his arms around me tightly, not letting go of me as he sat there.

Neither Paps nor I spoke, I just buried my skull deep into his shoulder, trying my hardest to stop crying. The younger skeleton continued to find ways to soothe me, he sighed quietly, frowning as he watched me break. Moments passed until he grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me away gently, still holding onto me as he looked deep into my eye-sockets and began to speak. "Brother- its going to be okay, I promise..."

"But he is gone, Papyrus. This- I lost a best friend in a matter of knowing him for 6 months, but now he is gone."

"He may be gone, brother, but someday you will meet him again. And until then, he will always hold a place in your heart. Just like how you will hold one in his!"

A fuzzy feeling made my soul tingle as a weak smile grew onto my face. I gingerly brushed the stranding tears that rested on my skull and looked down at the bed-sheets that sat on my bed. The stained white sheets were found in a dumpster- even though they were slightly disgusting, it at least made life normal. I quickly shook my head, and tightened my hands on Papyrus, hugging him tightly. My brother patted my on the back gently as we sat on the bed, bathing in each other's company. Within moments my vision began to slowly dim, I held onto my brother, my grip on him loosening as my eye sockets slowly drooped heavily. I breathed out a quiet sigh, allowing the lids of my eyes to collapse like two magnets connecting. Within moments, I passed out on his shoulder, exhausted from sleep deprivation and from crying so much.

\--+--+--

The evening sun was slowly setting over the horizon as I walked through the snow. Nearly two weeks have passed since I last cried over Grillby's absence. Snow kicked under my shoes as the powdery white substance left a small trail behind me. I walked through the quiet streets of Snowdin, my head lowered as I watched the ground before me. A sudden gust of wind made me shiver as I tightened the jacket around myself, I proceeded forward, not bothering to look up, until my eyes spotted a sudden pair of feet standing parallel to mine. I glanced up to find a rabbit-monster standing there. We both locked eyes and I glanced down. "Sorry, I'll move out the way."

"It's quite alright." They responded before tilitng their head, "Hmm- I feel like I have seen you before? Do you happen to go to the middle school around here?"

"Oh yeah I do, why?" I asked, glancing up at them.

The bunny monster twitched her ears and smiles, "Well so do I. My name is Silvia Caraton, and you are-?" 

"Sans. Sans the Skeleton."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Sans." She began, another gust of wind blew in our direction and Silvia's silver fur fluttered in the wind slightly, she shivered and looked up at me, tilting her head with a big smile on her face, "See you around school?"

"Sure!"

"Alright, bye bye now!" She giggled and padded off, large footprints remained on the Earth behind her as she disappeared behind a trail of homes.

I watched her leave, smiling brightly. I could not believe it. I got another friend- and so soon to. Maybe life really will turn around and I will be able to be happy again in life! Sure, Silvia or anyone else I meet or befriend will never replace the bond Grillby and me had, but at least it will be a good start! I told myself with a smile before continuing in the direction of the library. Life really will get better like Papyrus told me this morning. The signs may be vague, but at least it is clear that they are present instead of not deciding to show up at all.


End file.
